Shooting To Score
The Providence Christian women's soccer program opened the 2023 campaign hosting Bethesda University from Anaheim, CA. The two teams battled the August heat in an intense soccer match that ended with a 2-1 final score in favor of the Lady Sea Beggars. Both teams persevered through the warm temperatures and fans were treated to a competitive back and forth game.
The game started with Bethesda coming out quickly and looking for opportunities to attack from the opening whistle. The Lady Sea Beggars weathered most of the first half attacks but yielded a late goal to give Bethesda a 1-0 advantage going into halftime. The first half was full of action with 17 shots, eight keeper saves, four corner kicks and six fouls.
The Beggars continued their own strong attack throughout the match and wasted little time in the second half by putting immediate pressure on the back line of Bethesda. Sophomore attacker, Isabella Pecunes, scored the equalizing goal, with an assist from Alexandra Meza, in the 47th minute of play which leveled the score at 1-1. Pecunes finished the game with seven shots, five of which were on target and one goal.
In the 75th minute of play, freshman Sutton Denny found the back of the net, scoring the eventual game winner and sealing the victory for the Lady Sea Beggars. Denny's goal was assisted by junior captain Janelle Lopez. Denny contributed three shots and a goal in her Providence debut.
Both teams had several opportunities to score throughout the match and put several shots on frame. Bethesda had a total of 15 shots, with 10 of them on target and the Lady Sea Beggars had 14 shots in total, with 10 on target. Providence junior goalkeeper and captain, Faith Huston, had a strong performance in the net and made four crucial saves, helping secure the team's first win of the 2023 season.
When asked about today's game, Isabella Pecunes quoted Walter Elliot when he said, "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." Pecunes reflected, "I think this quote fits well because we persevered from being down 0-1 to come back to tie it 1-1 and then finally coming through and winning 2-1 in the end. It was the many small battles we had to win throughout the game to come out with a win." Sutton Denny added, "Today's game was a battle from the first whistle to the last. There wasn't a point in the game where either side let down. Bethesda finished out the first half with a 1-0 lead and it ignited a fire under us that led us to score within the first two minutes of the second half. Once that goal was scored, and it was tied, neither team was going to bow to our competition. We both stepped up our games and continued the fight. I personally was looking to 'shoot to score' as Coach Elkins likes to say. I received an amazing pass from Janelle, and I took the shot. After that goal, both teams took their game to another level and continued to battle until the final minute. It was a great game."
The perseverance and strong second-half performance by the Lady Sea Beggars secured the victory and a 1-0 start on the season. Both teams displayed skill and determination throughout the game, making it a thoroughly entertaining match for spectators.
The Lady Sea Beggars return to action on Monday, August 28th when they host Ottawa University from Surprise, AZ. The game will be played at Pasadena's Villa Park with a scheduled 10:00am start.